While the 27-year-old Henderson was a full-time player in the middle and on the weakside, his status wasn’t certain before the arrests. And with a new coach coming on board, he was very expendable, if only to provide a lesson to others.

Wow, am I glad that’s over with. When Audie Cole stepped in to start this past year he was twice as good as Henderson. We drafted Gerald Hodges and Michael Mauti last year, each of whom I have no doubt is better than Henderson now that they’ll be in their second year. They could even draft a linebacker in the first round. It’s nice to move forward.

He generally looks lost as the Mike in a Tampa-2. There are certain times however in all fairness where, when supporting the run, he can limit mid-tier halfbacks to an average of 1 yard a carry. He does show potential in that respect. I wouldn’t be suprised to see him link back up with Coach Frazier and Coach Smith in Tampa Bay.

Stop-gap player and a testament to how poorly the Vikings have done at acquiring talent and providing talent in the secondary and linebacker corp. Henderson is a prime example of young man who was given every opportunity to succeed and he flushed it.

Live in MN, but not a Vikings fan. Met him at a club several years back, thought he was a douche back then. He used to come on the local sports radio station, proclaiming that he was the best. He’s not even the best in his own family. I hope that EJ kicks his @ss.

deltaoracle says:Feb 7, 2014 4:02 PM

The Zimster will run the tightest, toughest ship to sail from Vikingville since Les Steckel. Or whoever was in charge of that “Love Boat” cruise. One or the other.

This has more to do about talent than anything else. If his initials were AP or CP the Vikings would have sent him to “counseling” and not cut him.

chinahand11 says:Feb 7, 2014 4:29 PM

Great move by Vikes: save money, get rid of an underachiever and potential locker-room cancer. Anyone who paid attention to this guy can see that he was the second coming of Marcellus Wiley – play hard one down and take the next two off.

There was absolutely, positively no vikings fan on earth that said such malarkey.

rubio4life says:Feb 7, 2014 6:01 PM

The ego on this guy was crazy. Would cry that no team offered him a big contract and then instead of working hard he got drunk and arrested. I really hope he finds himself but NO team needs him. The Vikings are gonna be great. Skol Zimmer.

coachkilla6 says:Feb 7, 2014 6:46 PM

Viking players will stop at nothing to get off that dumpster fire of a “team”. Jennings conveyed that to Rodgers, AP said that to the Press, Leslie was thrilled to get canned, and now EH can’t even bother to stay sober anymore.

I laugh at all you people talking bad about him. He didn’t help himself by drinking and driving, but if you’re ragging on his playing you are dead wrong.
—————————————
Hard work. Resiliency. Production. The ingredients to success for Vikings middle linebacker Erin Henderson, who in his first year as the Vikings middle linebacker has shown steady improvement and is currently the team’s leading tackler.

First for Henderson was hard work. He joined the Vikings as an undrafted free agent out of Maryland in 2008 and at first was known simply as EJ Henderson’s little brother. Since then, though, Erin has grown exponentially as a player. He began as a deep reserve on the linebacker depth chart who carved out a niche on special teams.
Then it was resiliency. Year after year, Henderson climbed the depth chart, eventually ascending to the starting lineup on the outside and ultimately this year the Vikings elevated him to the starting middle linebacker role, a job #50 has embraced wholeheartedly.
And now it’s the production. Henderson leads the Vikings in tackles with 120 and is on pace for 214, a total that would be the highest for a Vikings defender since Scott Studwell’s 215 in 1983. In addition to leading the team in tackles, he also leads the team in tackles for loss with 13.0. Henderson is tied for the team lead with two interceptions, is tied for second on the team with 3.0 sacks and has added five quarterback hurries and three passes defensed for good measure. This season Henderson has been the Vikings leading tackler in five games, he has a tackle for loss in eight of nine games and he has double-digit tackles in seven of nine games.
Football is the ultimate team game, but often times the NFL is a league defined by it’s high-profile stars who enter amid much fanfare and earn mega-buck contracts. That’s why it’s refreshing to see stories like Henderson’s – stories of talented, hard-working players who pay their dues while gradually and methodically working their way up the depth chart to to earn reward and recognition for a job well done.

Did You Know?
— Henderson is the second Vikings linebacker in team history to notch 2.0 sacks and an interception in the same game, joining only Mike Merriweather in 1989 against Detroit.
— In the 2013 offseason Henderson capped a lifelong affection for big cats by joining with National Geographic Foundation, visiting their offices in Washington, DC and pledging a donation for the Foundation’s Big Cats Initiative.

Has anyone checked on P.A. yet? I’m sure he’s off crying somewhere since he just lost his BFF on the team. Well I guess we won’t be hearing Gizmo Henderson on the radio anymore!

purpleguy says:Feb 8, 2014 5:47 PM

Is a poster above really basing Henderson’s value on the number of tackles as the MLB — the position that should lead the defense in tackles? Sheesh. The guy was okay on the outside, but as an MLB, was horrible in his drops in passing plays, couldn’t fight off blocks, and consistently over-ran plays. He was an average LB at best. However, I hope he gets his act together and signs with a team that plays him on the outside where he belongs.

dcviking says:Feb 8, 2014 7:45 PM

Rumor is that Henderson is looking directly east to a state where DUI is accounted for by actually teaching people to drive under the influence.